Tofu...what do you use it for?

[angel_nieves]

Tofu can go bad very bad

. When fresh it has no real smell, now Asians eat a product called Chou Dofu (fermented tofu). I have been told it is quite pungent.

 

[dragonfly411]

Macie - your dog is way to cute!

I''ve tried tofu and have found the texture to be interesting. How long does it take to get used to it? Mine was at home and also tried the Moes Tofu for my burrito, and I just wasn''t feeling it yet. But I''d like to eat more of it. I''m good with veggie burgers, actually like them a lot... but would really like to transition to tofu in some of my meat dishes. Any recommendations on how to either mask the texture, or get used it easier?

 

[Elmorton]

I bought my very first things of tofu last night (btw, does anyone watch Top Chef? I thought the Green Perplexed Tofu dish was hysterical). I will say that I felt like a complete dork trying to FIND it...I thought tofu would be in the refrigerated section, so I wandered for quite awhile until I found it.

Does anyone have a good suggestion for a fail-proof first cooking experience? I got 1 package of silken extra firm (for grilling) and a another package of silken firm. Since I liked how it was at a Japanese restaurant on the hibachi, I was thinking about just trying to sautee in a little butter and seasonings...?

 

[zoebartlett]

Elmorton, Macie (?) posted a link to a recommended way of preparing tofu. I think it involes pressing some of the moisture out of it and then putting it in a dry heated pan to let it brown without soaking up oil (that you might usually use).

I cooked a bag of frozen stir fry veggies (broccoli, carrots, peppers, onion, etc.) with tofu triangles (prepared how I mentioned above). When the veggies were cooked, I stirred in some type of bottled sweet and sour sauce I had found in the grocery store and let that simmer together for a bit. It was really good, and it made a ton. I had it for lunch and dinner over the past three days or so. My FI wouldn''t eat it -- he''s not a fan of tofu. I like to make this dish with other sauces too -- usually some type of stir-fry sauce.

Some people say that tofu doesn''t have a flavor of its own. I disagree though. It does have a flavor but it''s pretty mild. How long it takes to get used to tofu might depend on the person. I would think that if you use it more often in place of ground meat, that might be a good way of getting used to it. I often find that it''s easier to eat things if they''re not so obvious. So you might want to sneak it into dishes instead of trying a big slice of tofu on its owb. I forget the name of it, but there are tofu crumbles that you could try putting in spaghetti sauce instead of ground meat. The texture won''t be quite the same but it''s really very good.

 

[Elmorton]

Zoe, thanks! I missed Macie''s link the first time around. That looks PERFECT! I couldn''t figure out how the tofu seemed to have kindof a crunchy exterior at the restaurant but wouldn''t develop when I tried to put it in the skillet...I thought maybe it was breading (which, I learned this evening, you can sortof make a tofu parmesan...sounds gross but tasted pretty decent).

 

[angel_nieves]

Sorry Elmorton that I didn't post to your question in time. We had a family emergency, and just got back home today. However the dry frying method is the best way to prep tofu. I use a cast iron crêpe pan to dry fry my tofu using medium heat.